- Neale Stadium
-
Neale Stadium Location S. Rayburn St.
Moscow, Idaho
United StatesBroke ground 1936 Opened 1937 [1] Closed 1969 - summer Demolished 1971 Owner University of Idaho Operator University of Idaho Surface Natural grass
track - cinderConstruction cost $47,770 [2] Capacity 16,000 (approx.) Tenants Idaho Vandals (1937-68) - NCAA
- conference affiliations -
Big Sky (1963-68)
Independent (1959-62)
Pacific Coast (1936-58)Neale Stadium was an outdoor athletic stadium in Moscow, Idaho, on the west end of the campus of the University of Idaho. Opened in 1937[1] for college football (and track), it was used for over three decades, through the 1968 season. Its replacement, the Kibbie Dome, currently occupies the same site.
Contents
History
Neale Stadium was the home field for the Idaho Vandals of the Pacific Coast Conference (and later the Big Sky) from 1937-68, used for football and track and field. The stadium was named for Mervin G. Neale, the university's president from 1930-37. [3] The Kibbie Dome currently occupies the site in the same east-west configuration, unorthodox for football.
Neale Stadium was an earthen horseshoe bowl, opening to the east toward campus. The wooden grandstands were along the sidelines only, with approximately 30 rows of bench seating. The unlit stadium included the quarter-mile (402 m) cinder running track, and the white wooden scoreboard was located at the west end, on the rim of the unseated bowl. (photo)
There were no locker room facilities at the venue, the teams dressed in the Memorial Gymnasium well to the east. The press box was above the south sideline's grandstand and the elevation of the playing field was 2610 feet (795 m) above sea level. Before Neale Stadium, football was played at MacLean Field,[4] the large athletic field between the Mem Gym and the Shattuck Arboretum, behind (west of) the Administration Building. The baseball infield was on the site of the current College of Education building, and the football field ran north-south, from left field north to the infield. The primary spectator area was on the slope along the east sideline (third base line). (1921 photo - Idaho 6-0 over 9th Army Corps on 03-Dec [5]) - (campus photo - circa 1940)
Condemned in 1969
The wooden grandstands of Neale Stadium were condemned for safety reasons during the summer of 1969, due to soil erosion underneath the grandstands. [6] Idaho used WSU's Rogers Field in nearby Pullman, Washington, for their limited home schedule in 1969 (three Palouse home games), and was planning to do the same in 1970, with four home games scheduled.
Idle for football for a year, a suspected arson early on Sunday, November 23, 1969, destroyed the central portion of the south grandstand and press box at Neale Stadium.[6][7] Less than five months later, a similar fire occurred at Rogers Field in April 1970. Also a suspected arson, it severely damaged the south grandstand and press box of Pullman's wooden venue. This reduction in capacity forced WSU to play all of its home schedule in 1970 (& 1971) at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane, but Idaho continued to play its games at Rogers Field in 1970, using the north grandstand and temporary seating. [8] The two teams met in the so-called "Displaced Bowl" in Spokane on September 19, handily won by WSU.[9]
Idaho Stadium - 1971
In 1971, Rogers Field at WSU was demolished to construct Martin Stadium, which opened the following year. Weather delayed construction in the spring and Idaho's new stadium was a month behind schedule, which forced the Vandals to play their first two home games of the 1971 season away from the Palouse.[10] The first was the season-opener at the year-old Bronco Stadium in Boise in the first-ever meeting with Boise State College; the "visiting" Broncos pulled off the 42-14 upset before 16,123 on September 11 for an instant rivalry.[11] The second was at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane on September 25, a 10-0 victory over Colorado State.[12] Vandal football finally returned to campus two weeks later, when the new concrete "Idaho Stadium" opened on October 9, built on the site of Neale Stadium. With the first game on campus in nearly three years, the Vandals responded with a 40-3 victory over Idaho State.[13] The playing field was natural grass in 1971; synthetic Tartan Turf was installed in 1972 and the stadium was fully enclosed in September 1975 to become the Kibbie Dome.
A new all-weather outdoor track and field venue was built in 1970, west of the stadium.[14] It was named for gold medalist decathlete Dan O'Brien following the 1996 Summer Olympics, and underwent a $2.5 million renovation in 2011-12. [15]
Noted Vandals
Among the Vandal greats who played at Neale Stadium were Jerry Kramer and Wayne Walker, both future NFL all-stars and selected early in the 1958 NFL Draft.
References
- ^ a b Lewiston Morning Tribune - New stadium to bring new athletic era for Vandals - 1937-04-23 - p.8
- ^ lib.uidaho.edu - campus buildings - N - accessed 2011-10-02
- ^ Lewiston Morning Tribune - Neale contributed much to University of Idaho - 1963-06-29 - p.5
- ^ Lewiston Morning Tribune - Expect Sellout - 1936-10-07 - p.8
- ^ college football data warehouse - Idaho opponents - 1920-24
- ^ a b Lewiston Morning Tribune - Late night fire destroys portion of Neale Stadium on Idaho campus - 1969-11-24 - p.16
- ^ lib.uidaho.edu/special-collections/uibldngs.html#N
- ^ Spokane Daily Chronicle - Idaho selects Rogers for home grid frays - 1070-04-20 - p.16
- ^ http://washingtonstate.scout.com/2/243292.html
- ^ Lewiston Morning Tribune - Idaho officials told stadium will be ready - 1971-08-27 - p.17
- ^ Lewiston Morning Tribune - Broncos kick Vandals - 1971-09-12 - p.15
- ^ cfb data warehouse - Idaho results - 1970-74
- ^ Spokesamn-Review - Idaho likes home cookin' - 1971-10-10 - Sports p.2
- ^ Spokesman Review - Idaho plans own field minus roof - 1970-04-23 - p.24
- ^ University of Idaho - facilities - projects - Dan O'Brien Track Complex renovation - accessed 2011-10-03
External links
- University of Idaho buildings - N
- Neale Stadium - photo - 1950s - looking northeast toward Moscow Mountain
- Neale Stadium - photo - 1950s - looking west
- Marching band - photo from stadium's south grandstand - 1950s
- aerial photo of UI campus - circa 1940 - Neale Stadium @ upper center
- aerial photo of UI campus - circa 1950 - Neale Stadium @ lower left
- GoVandals.com - head coach Dee Andros (1962–64) leads Vandals into Neale Stadium
Coordinates: 46°43′35″N 117°01′05″W / 46.72639°N 117.01806°W
Idaho Vandals football University University of Idaho • Moscow, Idaho • Established 1889 • President: M. Duane Nellis • Athletic Director: Rob SpearTeams 1971 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 1998 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011Head Coaches Unknown (1893) • G. E. Higgins (1894–1895) • No team (1896) • G. E. Higgins (1897) • No team (1898) • Morse (1899) • Frank Herbold (1900–01) • John G. Griffith (1902–06) • J. R. Middleton (1907–08) • John S. Grogan (1909) • John G. Griffith (1910–14) • Charles M. Rademacher (1915) • Wilfred C. Bleamaster (1916–17) • No team (1918) • Ralph Hutchinson (1919) • Thomas Kelley (1920–21) • Robert L. Mathews (1922–25) • Charles F. Erb (1926–28) • Leo Calland (1929–34) • Ted Bank (1935–40) • Francis Schmidt (1941–42) • No team (1943–44) • James A. Brown (1945–46) • Dixie Howell (1947–50) • Raymond A. Curfman (1951–53) • Skip Stahley (1954–61) • Dee Andros (1962–64) • Stephen Musseau (1965–67) • Y. C. McNease (1968–69) • Don Robbins (1970–73) • Ed Troxel (1974–77) • Jerry Davitch (1978–81) • Dennis Erickson (1982–85) • Keith Gilbertson (1986–88) • John L. Smith (1989–94) • Chris Tormey (1995–99) • Tom Cable (2000–03) • Nick Holt (2004–05) • Dennis Erickson (2006) •
Robb Akey (2007– )Rivalries Governor’s Trophy (Boise State) • Battle of the Palouse (Washington State) • Little Brown Stein (Montana)Key Personnel Head Coach: Robb Akey • Offensive Coordinator: Steve Axman • Defensive Coordinator: Mark CrinerBowl Victories 1998 Humanitarian Bowl • 2009 Humanitarian BowlConference
AffiliationsPacific Coast (1922-58) • Independent (1959-62) • Big Sky (1963-95) • Big West (1996-2000) • Sun Belt (2001-04) • Western Athletic (2005- )Conference
Titles (9)Home Venues MacLean Field • Neale Stadium • old Bronco Stadium (Boise) • Rogers Field (Pullman) • Joe Albi Stadium (Spokane) • Martin Stadium (Pullman) • Kibbie DomeRetired numbers First Round
Draft PicksQuarterbacks Ken Schrom (1974-75) • Ken Hobart (1980-83) • Scott Linehan (1984-86) • John Friesz (1987-89) • Doug Nussmeier (1990-93) • John Welsh (1998-2001) • Nathan Enderle (2007-10)
Categories:- Defunct college football venues
- Defunct American football venues
- Demolished sports venues in the United States
- Property damaged by arson
- American football venues in Idaho
- Idaho Vandals football venues
- Moscow, Idaho
- Buildings and structures in Latah County, Idaho
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